Prefabricated wall structure



A ril 25, 1%? R. c. ROLLAND PREFABRICATED WALL STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 31, 1964 April 1967 R. c. ROLLAND 3,315,426

PREFABR ICAT ED WALL STRUCTURE Filed March 31, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 scale, showing the panels of the United States Patent 3,315,426 PREFABRICATED WALL STRUCTURE Robert C. Rolland, 7 Place Stanislas, Cannes, France Filed Mar. 31, 1964, Ser. No. 356,203 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Apr. 9, 1963, 14,021/ 63 6 Claims. (Cl. 52235) This invention relates to outer wall structures of buildings, of the type comprising prefabricated rectangular panels attachable to the frame members, i.e. columns and beams, of an open structural framework of the building.

The invention is more especially concerned with wall structures of this kind wherein the individual rectangular wall panels are peripherally surrounded with a resilient sealing strip attached thereto so as to frame the member, and engageable with surfaces of the framework of the building to provide a tight seal therewtih. Wall panels of this particular type are known in the art, but have not proved entirely satisfactory as heretofore constructed. Objects of this invention are to provide improved constructions of such wall panels provided with peripheral sealing strips in order to remove the present deficiencies therein.

Specifically, one important object lies in the provision of improved means for fastening such panels to the building framework, and including cooperating attachments on the sides of the panel and on structural members of said framework, whereby the mounting (and, where desired, the removal) of the panels will be greatly facilitated and expedited, and which will ensure the obtention of a perfect seal along all sides of each panel without requiring precise tolerances to be observed in the manufacture of the panels and in the erection thereof. Thus, it is an object to provide wall panels of the specified type with fastening means of an adjustable, and preferably spring-latching, type, which will enable the panel to be easily and quickly swung into a preparatory position with respect to the framework, then latched home, and which will then be adjustable so as to draw the sealing strip of the panel into tight sealing engagement with the outer wall surface of the framework.

Another object 'is to provide such panels which are arranged to be mounted from outside the building, in such a way as to be uncapable of being dislodged from their positions as under the effect of thrusts or impacts directed inwardly of the building.

While it has already been proposed to provide prefabricated wall panels with latchable fastening means, the means heretofore used have been generally unsatisfactory-and especially they have not been applied, nor have they been applicable, insofar as the applicant is aware, to panels provided with peripheral resilient seals.

Other features of the invention will appear from the ensuing particular description which refers to'the accompanying drawings, given by way of illustration but not of limitation. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a frame of a building with panels according to the invention in position or in the process of being positioned therein;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged front of the building in FIG. 1, with parts broken away;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views, with parts broken away, showing two forms of fastener devices used to secure the panels of the invention in position at the bottom and top, respectively, of the panels, and to place the peripheral seals thereof in compression; and

FIGS. 5 and 6 are similar views of respective modifications of the fastener devices.

In FIG. 1 is illustrated the structural frame of a building including columns 2, and horizontal beams 1a and 1b in mutually orthogonal directions. Also shown are a number of rectangular prefabricated panels of which the panels 45, 40, 5a, 5b, 5c, are shown in place on the building and other panels 3, 4a and 6 are shown in the process of erection and suspended from cables C. It will be observed that the prefabricated panels may differ in construction from one another and may differ in the materials from which they are made. Thus the panels 3, 5 and 6 are monolithic slabs of cellular material, with the panel 3 moreover being formed with a rectangular aperture, while the panels numbered 4 are shown as frames made from sectional members. All the panels however have this feature in common that their side edges are provided with a continuous flexible peripheral sealing strip. The edge strip of each of the panels 3 and 4 is designated 7 and that of each of the panels 5 and 6 is designated 8.

Secured to the beams 1a are fastening means 9 and 19 which cooperate with fastening means 11 and 12, not shown in FIG. 1 and later described, secured to the panels 3 and 4. Similarly the beams 1b have fastening means 9 and '10 secured to them and cooperating with fastening means 11 and 12 carried by the panels 5 and 6.

FIG. 2 shows in section three front wall panels 4a, 4b and 4c, in three successive stages of erection. It will be noted that each of these panels has a fastening means 11 secured to its under side and including a nose projecting at an angle downwardly and outwardly, which nose is adapted to engage into a' complementary groove formed in the fastening means 9. The lowermost panel 4a is shown as being suspended from a cable C, from which it is supported in a tilted position, and it will be understood that from this position it is brought to the upright position shown for the next higher panel 4b by a rocking movement as indicated by the arrow f1. During this movement a hook or spline of fastening means 12 secured to the upper side of the panel will engage behind a keeper provided in the fastening means 10' as later described. The manner in which the panel is thereafter brought from the position of panel 4b to that of the uppermost panel 40 shown on FIG. 2 by action on the fastener means 9 and 10, will also be described later.

The sealing strip 7 is seen from FIG. 2 to be formed along its inner longitudinal edge with a groove 16 receiving the edges of the panel, and with a pair of tapered lips or flanges 17 extending rearwardly and diverging along its sides so as to be flexibly engageable with the flat surface of the framework structure, as shown for the uppermost panel 4c, when the panel is in position. A cylindrical hole or chamber 18 is formed through the length of the strip 7 for increasing its flexibility. A groove 16a extending along the outer longitudinal periphery of the strip 7 serves to receive within it the inner edge of a protective flange or cover strip 7a, also shown in connection with the uppermost erected panel 4c.

FIG. 3 shows in enlarged perspective the fastening means 9 and 11 of FIG. 1. The means 9 comprises a block 28 formed with a tooth or spline 29 sloping at an angle towards the interior of the building. This spline cooperates with an arm or nose 30 projecting downwardly and outwardly from the under side of plate 11 secured to the base of a panel 3 or 4. It will be noted that the block 28 is shiftable as indicated by the arrows f2 and )3 between the parallel side flanges of a casing 31 secured to the related beam, for example, the beam 1a. Such shifting of block 28 is effected by rotation of a screw 32 rotatable in walls of said casing 31 and engaging a threaded hole in the block 28.

FIG. 4 shows in enlarged perspective the fastener means 10 and 12 of FIG. 1. The means 12 is in the form of a plate adapted to be secured, e.g. screwedor bolted, to the top of a panel, and which is formed with a triangular spline 33 engageable with a retractable latch 34 which is rockable about a pivot 36 and biassed by a spring 35. The foregoing parts 34, 35 and 36 are mounted in a housing 36a which is shiftable, as indicated by arrows f5 and f6, within a casing 37 by rotation of a screw 38 as was described with reference to FIG. 3. A catch 39 serves to block the latch 34 in its engaged position.

FIG. 5 shows modified fastening means 9a-11a which may be substituted for the fastening means 9-11 of FIG. 3. The fastening means 11a has a double spline 30a engageable with a toothed block 29a forming part of fastening means 911 and which is shiftable in casing 31a by means of a screw 32a.

FIG. 6 shows modified fastening means a-12a which may be substituted for the fastening means 10-12 of FIG. 4. Fastening means 12a is shown to include a triangular spline 33a cooperating with a latch or bolt member 34a retractable upwardly against a biassing spring 35a within a housing 36b, which is shiftable in a casing 37a of fastening means 10a by means of a screw 3811.

It will be understood that the fastening devices described make it possible to apply the seals 7 tightly against the surfaces of the beams 1a and columns 2. For that purpose, the screws 32 and 38 of the fastening means 9 and 10 are rotated to shift the panel from the position shown for the panel 4b in FIG. 2 to the final position shown for panel 4c.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the invention makes it possible to construct the walls of a building entirely from prefabricated panels, of monolithic character or made up from sectional frames, pro vided with suitable facing means, owing to the peripheral sealing strips and the cooperating fastener devices provided by the invention.

From FIG. 2, it will be apparent that with the panel 4a suspended from the cable C, it is simply necessary to engage the nose 30 of fastening means 11 with the cooperating surface of the tooth or spline 29 of fastening means 9, whereafter the panel will be guided in its rocking movement indicated by the arrow 11. At the end of this movement the spline 33 of the fastening means 12 will engage the latch 34 of the fastening means 10. Thus the panel is swiftly and easily swung into position, after which the cable C may be released and is available for the hoisting of another panel.

At this point the panel under consideration is positioned in a preparatory position with respect to the framework of the building, i.e. the position indicated for the panel 4b in FIG. 2. The screws 32 and 38 of the fastening means 9 and 10 are then adjusted to draw the panel inwards of the building and compress the sealing strip 7 against the outer wall surface of the frame work. At this time the panel is positioned as shown for the panel 4c in FIG. 2.

It will thus be understood that the adjustable fastening means 9 and 10 provided with the adjusting screws 32 and 38 serve a number of useful functions. They facilitate guidance and support of the panel during erection and during interengagement with the framework of the building. After engagement, they serve to draw the panel inwards to its final position with respect to the framework, and to achieve a uniform compression of the sealing strips 7 under a desired sealing pressure. Such adjustment makes it possible to take up any manufacturing tolerances in the parts and the inevitably large differences in the dimensions and positions of the framework members.

It will be evident moreover as impacts, applied to the panel from a slight inward displacement of spline 33 relative to latch 34 and of nose 30 relative to spline 29. However, the initial adjustment of the screws 32 and 38 can be made such as to apply suflicient initial compression sealing strip that inward forces, such outside may cause 7 to render such slight displacements immaterial and positively prevent dislodging of the panel thereby. At the same time, it will be apparent that the mounting of the panels presents an advantageous floating character.

The means for mounting each panel on the framework in accordance with the invention will conveniently provide for an isolation of the panel from the framework. Thus the nose and spline 30 and 33 may be made from, or lined with, an insulating material of adequate mechanical strength, e.g. Rilsan or other suitable plastic. Heat transfer as well as corrosion effects, sometimes aggravated due to electrical potential differences that tend to be set up between contacting surfaces of different nature, are thereby reduced to a minimum. Differential thermal expansion between the parts is of course also safely taken care of due to the compressible character of the sealing strip.

As earlier indicated the quality of the seal is improved, especially in regard to atmospheric moisture, by the provision of longitudinal lips or flanges 17 which extend along the sealing strips and diverge rearwardly from the rear sides thereof so as to be engageable with the frame surfaces. Preferably, additional flanges or lips 17' (FIG. 2) are also provided along the outwardly directed peripheral surfaces of the sealing strip 7 or 8, so that where desired each side of the rectangular sealing strip or frame may be placed in tight sealing engagement with the corresponding side of another sealing strip surrounding an adjacent wall panel. Such an arrangement, using contiguous wall panels, is illustrated in FIG. 1 for the panels numbered 5a, 5b and 5c, and it will be seen that this arrangement makes it possible to mount wall panels constructed according to the invention even in the absence of frame members, such as columns, underlying all the sides thereof. For example, it will be noted that there is no intermediate vertical frame member shown in FIG. 1 for supporting the adjoining vertical edges of the panels 5a and 5b.

In such a contiguous arrangement of the panels, according to a feature of the invention, it may be desirable to attach the adjoining sides of the sealing strips 8 of respective, adjoining panels such as 5a and 5b, as by means of spring clamps spaced the length of the common side of both panels and engaging the strips 8 of the respective panels. To facilitate such attachment, the strips 8 may be provided with a longitudinal rib extending on the front surfaces thereof, i.e. the surfaces directed outward of the building.

Alternatively, where the panels are not arranged in closely contiguous relation, as is the case with the panels 4 in FIG. I, cover strips 7a may be used to bridge the spaces between the parallel sides of neighbouring panels, such strips having their opposite longitudinal edges insorted in the grooves 16a formed in the corresponding sides of the strips'7, as indicated.

The panels of the invention are easy and quick to remove when desired, e.g. for altering the appearance of the front of the building or for reuse of the panels on another building site. Such removal can be effected from outside the building following a procedure which is generally the reverse of that described earlier. That is, the screws are actuated to release the compression from the sealing strip 7 or 8, a cable is attached to the top of the panel, the spline 33 is disengaged from latch 34, and the panel swung out of position and lowered. Such removal operations can quickly and easily be performed from outside the building without disturbing the interior installations inside the building. Partial removal of the panels may at any time be effected for inspection and/or repair. The invention is not, of course, limited to the precise terms of the description and the accompanying drawings but will admit of considerable variations. The panels may be made from many suitable materials, including wood and metal, by well known mass production techniques. The sealing strips may be secured to the panels otherwise than by way of the straight grooves shown, e.g. by means of longitudinally extending splines of dovetail cross section fitted into complementary grooves formed in the side edges of the panels. The latching means may differ from those shown while still accomplishing equivalent functions.

What I claim is:

1. In a building having a framework, a wall structure comprising rectangular wall panel elements, a resilient sealing strip secured around the periphery of each element and having a rear face engageable with an outer wall surface of the framework, first fastening means having interengageable parts respectively secured to a first side of said rectangular panel element and to said framework, second fastening means having interengageable parts respectively secured to an opposite side of said panel element and to said framework, spring means mounting at least one of said parts of at least one of said fastening means for resiliently retractable cooperation with the other part of the same fastening means during interengagement therewith, and adjusting means associated with said fastening means and operable after interengagement of said parts thereof for drawing said panel element inwardly with respect to said framework so as to urge said rear face of the sealing strip into tight sealing engagement with said outer wall surface of the framework.

2.,In a building having a framework, a wall structure as in claim 1; wherein the sides of said panel element to which parts of said first and second fastening means are secured are respectively the top and bottom sides of the panel element.

3. In a building having a framework, a wall structure comprising rectangular wall panel elements, resilient sealing strips secured to the peripheries of said panel elements and having rear faces engageable with outer wall surfaces of said framework, means for removably attaching said panel elements to said framework including interengageable latching means in a side of each said panel element and on said framework, respectively, and spring mounting means associated with said latching means for resiliiently retractable cooperation thereof during interengagement of the latching means, and adjusting means cooperating with said latching means and operable after interengagement thereof to draw the panel element inwardly with respect to the framework for adjustable, tight engagement of said rear face of the sealing strip with said outer wall surface of the framework.

4. In a building having a framework, a wall structure comprising rectangular wall panel elements, resilient sealing strips secured to the peripheries of said panel elements and having rear faces engageable with outer wall surfaces of said framework, means for removably attaching said panel elements to said framework including a first latching member fixedly mounted on a side of each said panel element and a second latching member on said framework and being interengageable with said first latching member, spring means mounting said second latching member on said framework for resiliently retractable cooperation with said first latching member during interengagement therewith, and screw means for adjusting the position of said second latching member relative to said framework in a direction normal to said outer wall surface of the framework after interengagement of said first and second latching members, thereby to draw the panel element inwardly with respect to the framework for adjustable tight engagement of said rear face of the sealing strip with said outer wall surface of the framework.

5. In a building having a framework, a wall structure comprising rectangular wall panel elements, resilient sealing strips secured to the peripheries of said panel elements and having rear faces engageable with outer wall surfaces of said framework, means for removably attaching said panel elements to said framework including interengageable latching means on a side of each said panel element and on said framework, respectively, adjusting means cooperating with said latching means and operable after interengagement thereof to draw the respective panel element inwardly relative to said framework for adjustable, tight engagement of said rear face of the sealing strip with said outer wall surface of the framework, said sealing strips further having longitudinal grooves in the outwardly directed surfaces thereof, and flat elongated cover strips having their longitudinal edge portions engaged in said grooves of the sealing strips at parallel spaced sides of adjacent panel elements for bridging the spaces between the latter.

6. In a building having a framework, a wall structure comprising rectangular wall panel elements, resilient sealing strips secured to the peripheries of said panel elements and having rear faces engageable with outer wall surfaces of said framework, means for removably attaching said panel elements to said framework including interengageable latching means on a side of each said panel element and on said framework, respectively, adjusting means cooperating with said latching means and operable after interengagement thereof to draw the respective panel element inwardly relative to said framework for adjustable, tight engagement of said rear face of the sealing strip with said outer wall surface of the framework, each of said sealing strips further having an outwardly directed peripheral face engageable with a corresponding face of a sealing strip extending along the periphery of a closely adjacent panel element.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,466,549 4/1949 Landine 52476 X 3,038,568 6/1962 Morgan 52731 X 3,071,215 1/1963 Gall 52475 X 3,090,427 5/1963 Stroup et al. 4O 3,138,229 6/1964 Hubbard 52475 X HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner. P. C. KANNAN, Assistant Examiner. 

3. IN A BUILDING HAVING A FRAMEWORK, A WALL STRUCTURE COMPRISING RECTANGULAR WALL PANEL ELEMENTS, RESILIENT SEALING STRIPS SECURED TO THE PERIPHERIES OF SAID PANEL ELEMENTS AND HAVING REAR FACES ENGAGEABLE WITH OUTER WALL SURFACES OF SAID FRAMEWORK, MEANS FOR REMOVABLY ATTACHING SAID PANEL ELEMENTS TO SAID FRAMEWORK INCLUDING INTERENGAGEABLE LATCHING MEANS IN A SIDE OF EACH SAID PANEL ELEMENT AND ON SAID FRAMEWORK, RESPECTIVELY, AND SPRING MOUNTING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID LATCHING MEANS FOR RESILIIENTLY RETRACTABLE COOPERATION THEREOF DURING INTERENGAGEMENT OF THE LATCHING MEANS, AND ADJUSTING MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID LATCHING MEANS AND OPERABLE AFTER INTERENGAGEMENT THEREOF TO DRAW THE PANEL ELEMENT INWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO THE FRAMEWORK FOR ADJUSTABLE, TIGHT ENGAGEMENT OF SAID REAR FACE OF THE SEALING STRIP WITH SAID OUTER WALL SURFACE OF THE FRAMEWORK. 